The Elkhorn Slough Foundation is a legally consituted 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is governed by a Board of Directors representing a broad cross section of the community.

Steve Dennis, Vice President, Carmel
Steve Dennis founded two Silicon Valley software firms: Smith, Dennis & Gaylord in 1973, and SD&G Healthcare Systems in 1988. Since moving to Carmel in 1996, Steve volunteers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In 1997 Steve joined the Board of the Family Service Agency. In 2002, as Board President, Steve helped plan and negotiate a merger with Community Human Services creating the largest human services agency in the County. In 2002, Steve received the Lucille Packard Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2003, Steve assisted the Aquarium in the development of the Strategic Plan for 2004-2008. Steve is currently on the Board of Sea Studios Foundation and has done work for York School, The Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. In addition, Steve teaches Strategic Management at Cal State Monterey Bay. Steve and his wife Sona have two married sons and six grandchildren. Steve graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a BS degree in Management Engineering.

Bill Eggleston, Treasurer, Carmel
A long-time resident of Carmel, Bill has successfully retired from an outstanding business career with IBM that allowed him to live abroad as well as on the East Coast. Bill has a background and interest in wetland conservation, serving as the member of the Town of Bedford Wetlands Control Commission for five years. Bill is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Science in Mathematical Statistics. Post-retirement activities include involvement in the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award and financial management of the Katonah Museum of Art. His interests include the world of finance, golf, and general recreational pursuits.

Judith Connor, Watsonville
Judith Connor is a biologist and long-term resident of the Elkhorn Slough watershed. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing, she serves on the senior management team and is the primary contact for MBARI’s intellectual property and technology transfer issues. Connor earned her Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley and has participated in expeditions to the eastern and western Caribbean, Hawaii, the Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas, New Zealand, Fiji, Africa and the Canary Islands. A frequent lecturer and an author of natural history books, she enjoys teaching marine botany at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Terry Eckhardt, Soquel
Terry’s passion for the slough goes back to his graduate school days, and sprang from an innate passion for nature. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, a product of the California Public School System and the
University of California at Berkeley. His love of the ocean brought him to the Monterey Bay area and the Moss Landing Marine Labs. During this time, Terry studied marine ecology and earned a teaching credential from San Jose State University. As a high school science teacher, Terry worked to instill a solid environmental ethic in his students. Now that he is retired he looks forward to making a tangible contribution to the protection and conservation of Elkhorn Slough.

Steve Green, Royal Oaks
Steve, and his wife Jane, are neighbors in the watershed, moving in 2000 to land they own adjoining the Porter Marsh. This land is part of ESF's first Conservation Easement project with restoration done by ESF volunteers in the early 1990's after decades of overuse as a cattle ranch. Steve is passionate about protection of endangered habitats, and volunteers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Steve has extensive management experience developed over 30 years as a Human Resources executive for high tech companies, and has a Masters Degree from Michigan State University. Since retiring in 2003, Steve enjoys kayaking, hiking, native plant gardening, volunteering for conservation causes, and family activities including fun with 3 grandchildren.

Dick Hammond, Carmel
Dick and his wife Barbara have lived in Watsonville and Carmel for 30 years. He has been active as a volunteer on many projects in the Monterey Bay area and overseas, including nine years as a trustee with the Big Sur Land Trust. He is a retired entrepreneur with considerable experience as the COO of two manufacturing companies and was a partner in an investment banking firm. Dick brings to the ESF Board his practical business experience as well as his strong practical enviornmental credentials. He is a graduate of UC Davis with a BS degree in animal husbandry.